1. Technical Field
This invention relates to reinforcement devices to prevent forced entry into a dwelling and, more particularly, to a reinforced door jamb assembly for a door opening which includes a reinforcement strip having an L-shaped transverse cross-section of one short leg and one long leg, the long leg for mounting on a door jamb face and the short leg for mounting on a door jamb edge, the strip including a plurality of spaced screw and latch openings and the reinforcement strip adapted to be mounted on a door opening without requiring modification to the door opening.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Doors in residences and business places are normally set into a door opening in a wall supported by wooden framework and the opening is lined with a door jamb. The door jamb leaves small tolerances on all sides of the door so it may be easily swung open or shut but provide very little space between the door and the jamb. A door stop ledge is built into the door jamb, and a latch opening is provided to receive the extendible tongue of the latch mechanism that is mounted on the door. Normally the locking mechanism causes the tongue to extend into the latch opening and not be retractable by the door knob, but only by a key from the outside of the door or by a turnable knob on the inside of the door. The latch opening is usually in a metal striker plate having a central opening for the latch tongue and one screw on each side of the opening for attachment to the door jamb. The striker plate is usually only about 3-4 inches long. Forcible entry through such a locked door is not difficult. The screws are usually only 1/2-3/4 inch long and are easily stripped out of the wooden door jamb by one or two strong kicks against the outside of the door at the location of the latch tongue.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a reinforcement for the door jamb to make it very difficult to break in a door where such a strip is used. It is another object of the invention to provide an elongated steel reinforcement strip having an L-shaped transverse cross-section with a long leg and a short leg, the long leg including at least one centrally located latch opening and a plurality of screw holes spaced over the length of the strip. A further object of present invention is to provide an elongated reinforcement strip in which the short leg has a transverse extent small enough to permit the reinforcement strip to be mounted over a door jamb without modification of the door jamb or surrounding door features, particularly that the short leg fit on the door jamb edge without overlapping or underlapping the door casing panel. It is also an object of the present invention that the long leg fit on the door jamb face without requiring modification of the door jamb or surrounding door structure. Still other objects will become apparent from the more detailed description which follows.